Chiquita, an American Novel: The Romance of a Ute Chief's DaughterTileston, Merrill
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Chiquita, an American Novel: The Romance of a Ute Chief's Daughter
Tileston, Merrill
Indian women -- Fiction; Ute Indians -- Fiction
"The Injun gal is made of the right stuff and will pilot yer to ther
right place, an' she can take care of herself goin' an' comin'. I've
seen her throw that knife in her belt twenty feet as straight as yer can
shoot a bullet outen that six-shooter of your'n."
Then the old Ute spoke:
"Chiquita all same Yamanatz show 'em trail to white man. White man
sabe?"
Jack could do nothing but take Chiquita's hands in his own and bow his
humblest thanks. It occurred to him he had an old sealskin cap in his
war bag and that it might please the dusky maiden. He soon produced it
and, with another friendly greeting, presented it to her. It was lined
with bright red silk, and she proceeded to put it on with the silk on
the outside, to which Jack made no remonstrance. Although it made him
bite his tongue, he did not "crack a smile."
Yamanatz and Chiquita immediately started on the trail for the Indian
village. It was ten o'clock. After a chat with Joe they both turned into
the bunk, Jack to dream of home, sheets and pillowcases, barber shops,
chinaware and a real live dining-room table. It took all next day and
far into the night to get his Ute ponies in readiness for Tuesday's long
journey, but at last the packs were made up. Three days' supply for two,
of bread, bacon, tea and coffee, were made into a convenient bundle, to
be rolled into the blankets, which would in turn be strapped behind
Jack's saddle. All the other paraphernalia--Indian moccasins, buckskin
shirts, beaded tobacco bags and a real Ute war bonnet, with lots of
pipes, elk teeth, bears' claws, arrow heads and Jack's clothing--were
packed in rubber blankets, canvas covers and grain bags, ready for the
pack-saddle on the other pony.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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